La ménorah en tant que symbole funéraire juif durant l'Antiquité tardive

Details

Supervisors

Luciani, Didier

Faculty

Faculté de théologie et d'étude des religions

Degree label

Master [120] en sciences des religions

Abstract

en"The Menorah as a Jewish Funerary Symbol in Late Antiquity" (2011) This dissertation explores the presence of the menorah in the context of Jewish funerary practices between the third and sixth centuries of the Common Era. The seven-branched candelabrum has been generally perceived as a simple marker of identity based on its numerous representations in cemeteries and catacombs in Israel as well as in the Diaspora. The existence of artifacts and structures with elaborate compositions calls for a reconsideration of this purely functional role of the menorah. An examination of selected archaeological evidence aimed at accounting for the diverse styles and artistic techniques of the period, and the significance attached to the menorah bear witness to the importance of this symbol in the funerary context: the menorah, in fact, embodies the two aspects of the belief in the afterlife – immortality of the soul and the resurrection of the dead – that existed within Judaism in Late Antiquity.